New Cars for 2012: Porsche Full Lineup Info

Charting the changes for the 2012 model year.

Boxster: The roadster lineup adds the Black Edition, a limited-build, ultra-schwarz way to get 10 more horsepower and a slew of extra equipment. Porsche will build just 987 examples, and each gets nav, premium audio, and bixenon headlamps as standard, as well as a 320-hp version of the Boxster S’s 3.4-liter flat-six. The price: $66,150, or about three grand less than a similarly spec’d regular-production model.

911: In sending off the 997 generation, Porsche has turned the special-edition fire hose to full blast. A Black Edition coupe and cabrio, a Carrera 4 GTS coupe and cabrio, a 918 Spyder Edition coupe and cabrio, and a GT3 RS 4.0 [see drive] have arrived in the 911 paddock, bringing the total number of U.S.-market variants to 27 at last count. The rear-drive-only Black Edition doesn’t add power to the base 911, but it does bring about $10,000 worth of options for upcharges of just $3500 (coupe) and $2500 (droptop). The 4 GTS is a burlier (408 horsepower versus 385), meaner-looking take on the all-wheel-drive S. Meanwhile, don’t go looking for a 918 Spyder Edition on your local dealer’s lot—availability of the $161K coupe and $173K convertible is limited to those who have also agreed to purchase its $845,000 namesake. Next spring, after the 997 spinoffs dry up, the next-gen 991 will go on sale. It has a longer wheelbase, a more luxurious interior, slightly reduced curb weights, and a revised engine lineup. The base 3.6-liter gets swapped for a 350-hp version of the 3.4-liter six from the Boxster/Cayman S; the step-up motor is still a 3.8-liter but now with an even 400 horses. The foregoing should make the next 911 a more capable and livable car, but perhaps the most interesting thing about it is the addition of a seven-speed manual [see Tech Tidbit] alongside the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic.

The new, seventh-gen (series 991) 911’s manual is the world’s first stick-shift box with seven speeds. Several key components and six of the seven gear ratios are shared with the PDK dual-clutch automatic offered since 2009. We expect the new manual’s top gear to be taller to stretch highway mileage. While Porsche hasn’t yet revealed the shift pattern, the most logical arrangement is a four-gate layout.